Yash Roy Photo
Bradley Street Co-op's John Martin picks mulberry to share with neighbors.
A mulberry tree that was purportedly planted by George Washington at the intersection of Bradley and State Streets will soon going to find itself in the midst of a summer home-improvement project.
The creation of a pocket “Mulberry Tree Park” at the intersection has been a dream for Bradley Street residents for more than a decade. Now they finally have the funding required to finish the first phase of constructing a park around the Mulberry tree and reclaim dead space that has been used as a dumping ground next to the Bradley Street Bike Co-op.
Surrounded by Bradley Street Bike Co-op’s John Martin and architect Ming Thompson, Ward 7 Alder Eli Sabin announced from the site of the future park that it will receive $30,000 from a state grant program originally funded by IKEA. The $3,000 will fully fund the project.
Mulberry Jam Park location; a facelift in the coming weeks will include removal of fencing, invasive trees, and debris.
Sabin said the IKEA Foundation donated $1 million to the state to “fund community improvement projects across the state as a sign of gratitude for the state government providing support to Connecticut families, employers, and workers during the pandemic.”
The park site is hard by an I‑91 overpass that originally split and deadened parts of the neighborhood.
“Transportation is about connection, but too often interstate highways displace residents and disconnect communities. This project and the nearby mural are beautiful examples of reclaiming public spaces and reconnecting communities,” Gov. Ned Lamont wrote in a statement that Sabin read at an announcement held Tuesday afternoon at the site.
The Mulberry Street Park has been in a work in progress for the last three years. Martin and neighbors came together in the months before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to reclaim the abandoned lot, which had been used as a dumping ground.
The State Department of Transportation agreed to lease the lot to the city for $1 per year for 15 years. Then the community came together to clear the space and begin the process of building the park.
Sabin speaks with Ming Thompson and John Martin at Tuesday's event.
Thompson is a member of the New Haven-based Atelier Cho Thompson architecture firm, which has offered its services pro bono for the project. She said the work this summer will include clearing out the two invasive species tree within the park; taking down the fence and replacing it with a gabion wall for people to sit on and use; as well as laying and leveling the ground.
Thompson predicted that much of this work will be completed by mid-August. The group will then assess what the next steps for the park will be.
The nonprofit Urban Resources Initiative has also been involved with the effort and will continue to help plant trees and bushes. According to Martin, the group has had some difficulty because the lot does not receive much sunlight; however, they continue to adapt and plant bushes to make the space more green.
Sabin, Emerge Executive Director Alden Woodcock, and 40-year Bradley Street resident Kathyrn Giampietr.
The final group involved with the project to benefit from the grant is nonprofit Emerge, a nonprofit helps formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society. A crew of four from Emerge will be at the site throughout the summer helping clear away trees and other debris.
“This space has a lot of great potential, and I know that our community will come together and use it really well. From showing movies here to eating food together to having our kids play together, this space will help bring together and already tight-knit community within New Haven,” said Thompson.